I like visiting Boston. It has good public transportation, but most of all it is walkable.
It is easy to find all the sites you read about in school along the many marked trails through the city. You just need to pick a color of line marked on the sidewalks and follow it.
This photo was taken on the first visit with the family. I could not back up far enough to catch the top of the masts. We saw the site of the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's home, Faneuil Hall, the State House, burial site's of many founders, Old South Meeting House and the Old North Church. We stopped in at the location of the fictional Cheers (now real). I even saw the offices used by Charles Ponzi. We walked to the Charlestown Naval Yard and then rode the water ferry back across the bay.
I will tell you if you visit it will cost a bit more for lodging and meals than many of my other destinations, but I think for any student or history buff it is a must see. There is a lot of history packed into a small package.